Kita Mizuho Ice Cream is born! (Kita Mizuho Producers Association, Chairman Nagai Minoru) This additive-free ice cream is made with Kita Mizuho rice, grown in Hokuryu Town!

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

The Kita Mizuho Producers Association (Chairman Minoru Nagai) has developed an ice cream made with Kita Mizuho rice grown in Hokuryu Town. It began being served at the restaurant Himawari in Hokuryu Town on Monday, February 17th, and was also unveiled in the school lunches at the local Shinryu Elementary School and Hokuryu Junior High School on the same day.

Kita Mizuho is a high-amylose rice that can be made into "rice gel."

"Kita Mizuho" was registered as a variety in 2012. It is a high-amylose rice (amylose content is approximately 30%) suitable for processing and can be made into "rice gel." "Rice gel" is made by adding water to high-amylose rice as grains, cooking it, gelatinizing it, and then stirring it at high speed.

Kita Mizuho Ice Cream, which contains no additives

By adjusting the amount of water and other factors during the manufacturing process of "rice gel," it is possible to control a wide range of physical properties, from soft jelly to pudding-like and highly elastic rubber-like. By gelling rice made from high-amylose rice "Kita Mizuho," a smooth ice cream that does not melt easily is created!

Kita Mizuho ice cream is made only from rice, milk, and sugar, and is additive-free with no stabilizers or emulsifiers. The development of rice gelato using Kita Mizuho is said to be the first attempt in Hokkaido.

A speech by Minoru Nagai, president of the Kita Mizuho Producers Association

We recently took the time to speak with Minoru Nagai (42 years old), president of the Kita Mizuho Producers Association, about the development of Kita Mizuho ice cream.

Meeting Kita Mizuho

"Five or six years ago, someone from a machinery company (for agricultural equipment, etc.) in Shibetsu Town asked me, 'We have this interesting rice! Are you interested?' At first, Nagai immediately replied, 'I'm busy, so I'm not interested!'

At the time, I ignored what he said, but something about it somehow appealed to me, so I asked the Sorachi Agricultural Improvement and Extension Center, "Have you heard of this rice?", but the answer I got was, "I don't know!" At the time, this rice was still relatively unknown to the public.

So, we asked the testing center to look into it, and it turned out that there was someone there who had been involved in the development of Kita Mizuho, and that the seeds were being handled at the Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center.

Hand planting, hand harvesting, sun drying, threshing, browning and polishing

Nagai bought about 3 kg of Kita Mizuho seeds and tried growing them himself. At first, he did everything by hand, including planting, harvesting, sun-drying, threshing, removing the husks, turning the rice into brown rice, and polishing it.

Processed into rice flour

Around this time, talk began to be raised about using it as rice flour, and even today, Kita Mizuho is milled into rice flour, which is used in a variety of sweets, and is also being used to manufacture processed products such as sake and koji.

There are only a few varieties of rice in Japan that are specifically made for rice flour

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has announced three varieties of rice for use in rice flour: Variety No. 1 (for confectionery and cooking), Variety No. 2 (for bread), and Variety No. 3 (for noodles). Kitamizuho belongs to Variety No. 3, and has a high amylose content, making it suitable for making chewy noodles such as pasta. It has excellent cold tolerance, and is best grown in Hokkaido.

▶ Reference page
・Rice flour information / Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries / Non-gluten and use standards／Characteristics of major rice varieties for rice flour according to their uses (PDF)

Kita Mizuho Production Association established: January 2019

After meeting Akihiro Adachi, CEO of Ryusei Farm Co., Ltd. (Hokuryu Town), he founded the Kitamizuho Producers Association in January 2019. Currently, the association is made up of Minoru Nagai, the association president, Akihiro Adachi, and Ninohe.

Before becoming a farmer, Adachi Akihiro worked at a rice store. After joining Ryusei Farm as a corporate trainee (for two years), he was appointed as a member and started his career as a farmer. Two years later, he became a director. Later, a decrease in members prompted him to establish a corporation.

They strive to secure and develop human resources from outside the company, and while rice is their mainstay of agriculture, they also work on processing miso and koji in the winter. Furthermore, they are collaborating with manufacturers to provide raw materials for processing sake and other products.

Adachi-san has a wealth of knowledge about rice distribution and sales, so the development of manufacturing and sales outlets for rice and sake has progressed rapidly. In November 2019, the pure rice sake "Niseko," which was test-brewed using "Kita Mizuho" rice from Hokuryu Town, went on sale.

▶ Reference page
・Hokkaido Prefectural Government / Case Study of a Young Agricultural Manager in Hokkaido: The Story of a Young Agricultural Manager in Hokkaido Paving the Way to Realize His Dreams - Akihiro Adachi, Representative Director of Ryusei Farm Co., Ltd. (Hokuryu Town)

Try making rice gel and ice cream using Kita Mizuho rice

With the cooperation of the Iwamizawa Agricultural Improvement and Extension Center, we took on the challenge of gelling Kitamizuho rice and making ice cream! We received instruction from dairy farmers in the Tohoku region on how to make the ice cream, and made many prototypes.

The final flavor of Kita Mizuho Ice Cream was decided after a tasting by Mr. and Mrs. Nagai, Mr. and Mrs. Adachi, the Agricultural Improvement and Extension Center, agricultural cooperatives, and other related parties. In February 2020, the manufacturing company was decided and the product was commercialized.

US Gel enters into patent technology and licensing agreement

"Rice Gel" is a patented technology for a new food ingredient developed through research at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization's National Food Research Institute (Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture). Kita Mizuho Producers Association has signed a licensing agreement with the institute.

Regional Industrial Cluster Manufacturing Support Project

The project is supported by the Hokkaido Science and Technology Center's Regional Industrial Cluster Manufacturing Support Project (a grant of 500,000 yen, covering two-thirds of the development costs).

Characteristics of Rice Gel Ice

1. Kita Mizuho's rice gel is made by gelling milk porridge cooked with milk through high-speed shear mixing, then adding sugar and mixing it in an ice cream machine to make ice cream.
2. Rice gelato is hard to melt and drip. It has high water retention, does not easily separate, and has a long shelf life.
3. By adjusting the amount of water added, the softness changes from jelly to rubber. Furthermore, the texture changes depending on the storage temperature of the ice cream. It is best eaten at around -13°C.

Currently available at Restaurant Himawari (Hokuryu Town)

It is currently available on the dessert menu at the restaurant Himawari. It is a trial sale of ice cream kept at the perfect temperature of -13°C, topped with Kita Mizuho puffs.

The potential for using rice flour to combat allergies, such as gluten-free

"We are currently considering ways to store the ice cream. We would like to find out the optimum temperature at which to keep it, as well as how to maintain its deliciousness, and then roll out Kita Mizuho Ice Cream nationwide.

In the future, I think there will be a need for new developments with rice, such as demand for rice flour as an alternative to wheat flour and the possibility of using rice flour to prevent allergies, such as gluten-free foods.

"I think it would be a waste to use surplus rice for processed products, so as a rice-producing area in Hokuryu Town, Hokkaido, we would like to actively promote the cultivation of 'Kita Mizuho' as rice specifically for processing," says Nagai with great conviction.

For inquiries, please contact: Kita Mizuho Producers Association

・Minoru Nagai Union Leader Tel: 080-3234-5981

Kita Mizuho is a high-amylose rice that changes its appearance depending on the moisture content, making it a very useful rice.
To the further development of the Kita Mizuho Producers Association, which lovingly cultivates this great Hokuryu Town rice, "Kita Mizuho,"
With boundless respect, gratitude and prayers...

Related articles and sites

・<Hokuryu Town Residents> Minoru Nagai
・<Citizens' Column> MIHO's Kurosengoku Cooking

・Himawari Restaurant Homepage／Instagram
　

◇ Photography and editing: Noboru Terauchi Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi